


Quagmire

by Rose_of_Pollux



Category: The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (TV)
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-29
Updated: 2018-01-29
Packaged: 2019-03-11 04:52:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13516950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rose_of_Pollux/pseuds/Rose_of_Pollux
Summary: In which, even after only three days of separation, finding his wounded partner is a relief to Illya.





	Quagmire

Illya had been searching incessantly since Napoleon had been reported missing on a solo mission. It hadn’t looked good—rather than let him demolish a satrap, THRUSH had decided to destroy it themselves—and Napoleon hadn’t been heard from since the explosion.

Several in the office had presumed that Napoleon’s goose was cooked; they had even handed over Napoleon’s yellow II badge to Illya, expecting him to step up and take his place as CEA. Illya’s angry retort was that he was only Acting CEA until it was proven beyond doubt that Napoleon hadn’t survived the explosion—a rare public display of emotion that no one expected from the “Ice Prince” (except for the one missing, of course).

Illya had wasted no time, trying to piece together what must have happened in the aftermath of the satrap’s destruction. Napoleon was no fool—he would have attempted to make a break for it the moment he’d realized what THRUSH was planning to do. And those sorting through the wreckage had confirmed that they hadn’t found Napoleon, leading Illya to believe that he must have made his escape into the surrounding swamp—obviously injured, for he must have been caught in the shockwave of the explosion, given that his tracker wasn’t working. And that would be more than enough to disorient him.

Illya finally found him hours later, unconscious under a small, hastily-constructed shelter he had put up out of large fronds to minimize the amount of rain falling on him. He had multiple injuries from getting caught in the explosion; Illya checked him for a concussion, and didn’t find any signs of one, before proceeding to treat his partner’s wounds with the first aid kit.

The sting of the disinfectant was enough to revive Napoleon; he cringed and tried to struggle weakly.

“Napoleon,” Illya said, softly. “Napoleon, it’s me.”

Napoleon paused, as though trying to convince himself that he wasn’t hearing things; weakly, he managed to look up; even in his condition, the relief was evident in his eyes as he finally convinced himself it was real.

“Illya…”

“That’s right,” Illya said, continuing to work on Napoleon’s wounds. “You’ll feel some discomfort from the antiseptic I’m using, but after what you’ve been through, however, you need it.”

“How long was I gone?”

“You don’t know?” Illya asked.

“Been losing track of time,” Napoleon mumbled, wincing as the treatment stung. “Seems like I’ve been camped out here forever.”

“Not even three days,” Illya informed him. “And yet, people were ready to write you off as lost in the explosion.”

“You didn’t, though…”

“Of course not,” Illya said. “You have a thirst for life that cannot be easily quenched… along with a thirst for certain things in life, as well.”

Napoleon tried to chuckle, but couldn’t; he let out a quiet hiss of pain as Illya now disinfected a particularly deep wound on his shoulder.

“Nearly finished,” Illya promised him.

“How bad…?”

“How bad does it look?” Illya finished. “Do you mean the damage to you, or to your appearance?”

“…Both.”

“You are as strikingly handsome as ever, and will make a full recovery,” Illya said. “Your suit, on the other hand…”

“…Not again…”

“I expect that is what Mr. Waverly will say when you file for the reimbursement. Again.”

Napoleon paused as Illya now set about bandaging his wounds. They were both silent while Illya worked, and, after Illya called in to headquarters and informed them of their location for an extraction, Napoleon spoke up again.

“You were really worried about me, weren’t you…?”

“Nothing I haven’t experienced before,” Illya said, now taking a wet cloth and wiping the remaining mud off of Napoleon’s face.

But Napoleon caught the almost undetectable quiver in Illya’s voice.

“Doesn’t make it any easier, though…” he murmured.

Illya paused for a moment, and then drew his arms around Napoleon, pulling him into a hug that was both gentle and tight. Napoleon weakly reached up and placed his hand over Illya’s arm.

“Hey, at least it was only three days this time?”

“Still three days too many,” Illya insisted.

Napoleon couldn’t disagree.

“Thank you for finding me,” he said, after a while.

“You know I would have never stopped searching,” Illya vowed.

Napoleon managed a wan smile.

“No more than I could have if it had been you,” he promised back.

Illya knew without even needing to be told; he continued to hold his partner close until they were extracted. And as Napoleon recovered in Medical, Illya stayed by his side, happy once again to prove Section I wrong—as they would continue to do so.


End file.
